I Can't Take Another Night On My Own
by IfIt'sNotTooEarly
Summary: When Tony runs out during a case, what will Ziva do? Does she return his feelings for her? And what will happen when Abby and McGee start to get invlolved? Hopefully better than it sounds. Tiva , some McAbby later on.
1. Tony

**A/N Okay, first ever fanfiction, hope it's okay and that you all enjoy reading it. Please read and review, cos I'd really like to know what you think of it. This first chapter is from Tony's POV but subsequent chapters aren't going to be. I'm hoping to go round all the different main characters to capture their opinions and points of views on the different scenarios. So yeah, read, hopefully enjoy and review if you can. Thanks :)**

Chapter 1- Tony

It's been almost 6 years since I first saw her. She's always been beautiful. If anything since I met her she's only gotten prettier. Her long brown hair with those perfect natural curls, those seductive dark eyes, a perfect body, anybody would be lucky to have her.

But I wanted her and she didn't want me. I wasn't used to this feeling, somebody not wanting me. It wasn't the kind of world that I lived in. I've always got exactly what I wanted. But her... Well, she was a whole other story.

I'll say all this now, but I have to admit it took me a while to warm up to her. When we'd first met I was in a bad place. I'd just seen Kate die. I never really knew how I felt about her I mean, it was confusing, she was like my sister, but I'd always felt something more for her, I just never knew what. And I never will.

But Kate, she doesn't matter anymore. All I want now, all I've wanted for the past six years, whether I'd known it or not, was Ziva. It felt as though this was everything my life had been leading up to.

It's like when people talk about the one, you know, like that one person who's perfect for you, your soul mate. Like Shannon and Gibbs, or in a way like Abby and McGee, they just haven't realised it yet. Mine, I think it's Ziva. I know it's Ziva. And I pray that someday Ziva will be mine. But just because she's my soul mate doesn't mean that I'm hers.

So now I guess I just have to wait, to plan, to figure out what to do next. Pretty much the same as I've been doing since I realised that I loved her. In the hope she'll someday be mine.

Yeah, right, because that's really going to happen. I may aswell give up. Before I get so deep that I can't get back out.

Like I'm not already that far gone. I've been digging my own grave for the past six years.

My dreams haunted me with images and scenes I knew would never belong to me. Tonight's dream would only suffice to drive me further into the dark black hole my emotions had become. It was, in a sense, a more updated version of one of our first undercover missions together. Though I very much doubt that these images affected her anywhere near as much as they did me.

I opened the door to the hotel room, followed closely by her. The second the door was shut her hands were on me, running all over my body. She was mine, finally. I kissed her long and slow. It was the kind of kiss that was building to something so much more.

*beep-beep*

"Please not now," I thought. Not now. I was struggling to stay in the dream. I had to hold onto it. Ziva was there, in my arms.

*beep-beep*

"Urghh," I moaned. I rolled over to hit the alarm and looked at the clock. It read 5:30am. It was too early. Way too early. I didn't care what time I had to be at work, I wasn't getting up now. So, I simply rolled back over and attempted to re-immerse myself into the perfect life my dream had created for me.

A while later, my eyes flashed open. I checked the time on my phone. 6:30am. I swore loudly under my breath and jumped up grabbing whatever clothes were nearest to me and pulling them on.

I was halfway out the door when I realised I was wearing a pair of sweatpants and not my usual suit. I turned back around and grabbed my pants, hopping out the door whilst getting them on.

The usual twenty minute car journey took me almost forty, though it seemed like five times that. I just wanted to be at work already.

When my car finally pulled into the NCIS car park it was almost 7:15am. God, Gibbs was going to slaughter me. I took a second to compose myself before I jumped out my car and headed on into work.

As I entered the building, the lift doors were just closing over. I broke into a run as I attempted to catch it but as I was within a metre of it the doors slide shut.

I contemplated waiting for another lift but after deliberating it for a few short seconds I realised if I continued waiting for another lift I'd never make it to the bull-pen at all. I turned for the stairs and sprinted on up taking them two at a time.

Finally at almost half seven, I strode into the bull-pen. And I saw her, she was sat at her desk her long dark hair pulled back into a neat braid and her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed together in concentration as she read over what I presumed to be her notes from the case we were working on yesterday.

She lifted her head up from her paper work to look at me and I saw her brown eyes sparkle in the light as she saw me. After Somalia I wasn't sure I'd ever see that sparkle again. None of us were.

When I thought I'd lost Ziva… Words can't even describe how I felt. I'd let the pain and the grief completely overtake me. But she was here now. She was alive and though it took time, the glow she had, the flirting and the games we'd played for years, the ones I'd been oblivious to for so long, they all returned.

But Ziva, she didn't have any idea how I felt. She was as oblivious as I'd been for all those years.

And though I wanted to be with her, if I ever told her, and she didn't feel the same way, I don't think I could ever deal with that. I loved her and I couldn't live knowing she didn't feel the same way. As much as I wanted to take the risk, I couldn't.

I much preferred the mystery, the maybes and the what ifs. That was always going to be better than the rejection.


	2. Ziva

**A/N Soo chapters two's here, thanks to anybody who read/ reviewed my first chapter, made me feel abit better in myself knowing that at least some people don't think it's awful! So yeah chapter two- this one is from Ziva's POV (I apologise if it doesn't sound very Ziva-ish, because I find it very hard to write from her POV. However, I have tried hopefully it's not too bad?) but, just to clarify, this takes place on the same morning as chapter one does. So read, fingers-crossed you'll enjoy it and please review! :)**

Chapter 2- Ziva

Do you know when people talk about 'the one'? When they talk about love at first sight? Well, personally, I have never believed in any such thing as a perfect love story. I do not really believe in love. I have seen far too much cruelty in this world. It changed me, matured me, growing up in this way. However, as far as I was concerned, love was never a priority in my life. I have dated a few people but nothing has ever really gone anywhere. Even with Ray, that spark, it just was not there. I never really understood why, for a short time, I thought maybe it was because of my lack of belief in the feeling. It took me far too long to realise why.

It was him.

It had always been him.

I do not know when I first realised I felt like this.

It may have been when I was in Somalia.

When I was there, I had pretty much given up. Given up on life. Given up on hope. I think that that was when I realised I loved him. I thought that I would never see any of them again, not Gibbs or McGee or Abby or Ducky or Jimmy. Or him. Especially him. Over the past six years they had become my family. My surrogate family perhaps, but family none the less. The thought of losing them, I cannot even imagine it. But I thought I was about to. And my feelings for him finally surfaced. I had played the games so long, just gone along with him.

Since then there have been moments, and many of them, where I have thought, maybe, perhaps this is the time. Maybe, he feels the same way. Maybe, for once, I can get what I want. Not what everybody else wants and I have to settle for. That was all I ever felt like I did. Settle.

I got out of bed and began to put on my shorts and vest top, so I could go running.

It was the one thing that always helped me to relax and clear my head.

I had to get my thoughts in check before I ventured to work.

I pulled on my shoes, unlocked the door to my apartment and took the stairs down to the deserted street.

An hour and a half later, I pulled the keys to my apartment out of my pocket and opened the door. I went straight to the bathroom, eager for an icy cold shower, to cool me down after my run.

But after only a few minutes of being home, my thoughts were already back to him.

I began to let my mind wander and drift and, before I knew it I was caught up in flashing images of him.

Of us.

But it is not good for me to get my hopes up like this.

Tony does not like me. At least, not in the way I want him to.

I retreated back to my bedroom, upset that I had started the day on such a sore note.

I was dressed and driving to work by 6 am.

Usually, I would love the extra few minutes in bed. Evidently not today.

I took the stairs up and arrived in the bullpen before all the others. After a few minutes of sifting through the many mountains of paperwork that awaited me today, I was already bored. I hoped that Abby was already in and I headed down to her lab.

Before I even got halfway down the stairs, Abby's personal choice of music this morning, reached my ears. I did not understand why she even liked this music. It was not to my own taste.

I walked into the lab and Abby swept me into a hug that instantly brightened my day, I did not know what it was about Abby, but simply being in her presence could make anybody happier.

After 45 minutes of just talking with Abby about my rather uneventful evening, I decided to go back to the bullpen in the hope that Tony or McGee or even Gibbs was there.

Thankfully, both McGee and Gibbs were already at their desks, both immersed in the work we had to do today.

I wondered where Tony was, it was almost seven o'clock. But I shrugged off the thought, because even his name dredged up all the feelings that I could not hide, nor get away from.

I told myself once again, Tony does not like me. Not in the way I want him to.

If he did feel the same way, which I know he does not, he would have done something by now.

Would he not?


	3. Case

**A/N Chapter 3's upp, thanks so much to the people who reviewed chapter 2, they all motivated me to write more knowing that people are actually reading it and want me to write so thank you! Tony's POV is back, hopefully the second of many times :) Incase anybody's wondering, I'm gunna be updating on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So read, please review again so I can write more and I'm hoping you'll enjoy it :)**

Chapter 3- Case

I'd been sat at my desk all morning doing stupid paperwork. There was nothing in the world that I hated more.

Except maybe Ray. Yeah, except for CI-Ray, I hated paperwork more than anything in the world.

I was almost grateful when, at about 5pm, Gibbs strolled into the bullpen, fresh cup of coffee in tow and said, "Grab your gear, we got a dead petty officer."

So I did just that, I jumped out of my seat, grabbed my back and jogged to the elevator with a quick "Shotgun," shouted behind me.

An hour later we arrived at the home of the dead petty officer. When I first started at NCIS, I sometimes used to get sad, thinking about how these people had been killed, some of them for no reason other than the fact that they were just there. But after so long working here, I was used to it. It just didn't affect me anymore.

Gibbs walked straight through the front door and upstairs to the bedroom. My eyes flitted to the left, where, in the sitting room, a pale, ashen faced man, sat on the sofa, just staring straight ahead. He could only be mid- twenties but the look on his face told me the sight he'd come home to just hours earlier, had aged him beyond his years. He must've felt my eyes boring into him because he turned his head to look at me. The look he gave me was what could only be described as pain. But the most excruciating pain that you could ever feel. It wasn't something somebody should ever have to experience.

But they did.

I followed Gibbs and the rest of the team up the stairs to the master bedroom, with a quick glance behind me. I couldn't help but admire the 50 inch plasma screen covering the opposing wall. Then, my eyes fell to the huge double bed on the right side of the bedroom.

We'd walked into a pretty nasty looking scene. The petty officer was laying face down on the bed, surrounded in a pool of blood.

"Petty officer Christina Chadwick- Milton, guy downstairs is James Milton, husband," said McGee.

I'd usually have some witty film connection to make around now, but there was just something about the look I'd seen in his eyes and I couldn't put my finger on it. It felt, almost familiar. I just didn't know anymore.

"Hey DiNozzo," said Gibbs, interrupting my train of thought with a usual slap round the back of the head.

"Yeah boss," I said, rubbing the back of my head whilst I turned around.

"Get downstairs, interview the husband, I wanna know what she was doing today and every day this past few weeks. Where she was, when she was there, how she got there, why she was there and most importantly who she was with."

"Got it boss," I replied, already heading to the door.

I could hear Gibbs barking more orders at McGee and Ziva as I jogged down the stairs.

I walked over to the guy on the sofa.

"James Milton?" I asked.

He slowly lifted his head, as though doing so was using the very last of his energy.

"Yes," he replied.

Finally his eyes rose to meet mine.

And that was when it hit me.

Everything, anything that had ever caused me any pain hit me like a Gibbs-slap round the back of the head.

And all I knew was that I had to get out of there.

Get away.

Far away.

And so I ran.

Straight out of the front door.

Down the street I didn't know.

I had no idea where I was going.

And I didn't care.

**A/N I'm sorry that it's so short! I promise that I'll try and do a longer one next time :)**


	4. What Now McGee?

**A/N Okay, chapter four, this chapters from McGee's POV, yay! If you ask me, McGee should be given a nice big story line because he is awesome. Again, thanks so much for reading/ reviewing, and thank you if you're reading this! Hopefully, you'll enjoy, this chapters the longest and it was quite hard to write, seeing as I've changed it so many times. Well, read, review and hopefully you'll like it :D**

Chapter 4- What now, McGee?

Gibbs sent me downstairs to find out what DiNozzo knew; he's been gone for about a half hour, which was pretty long, even for DiNozzo.

I got to the living room and noticed the guy, (James, right?) was sat on his own and Tony wasn't around.

I looked at him.

"Where'd DiNozzo go?" I asked him.

"Who?" He asked, looking up, a look of sheer confusion upon his face.

"The other agent? Came to interview you about a half hour ago?"

"Oh him. Yeah, he came over, and then just… Ran out the door. I'm sorry… I don't know where he went," he almost whispered, then looked down again.

Damn it, DiNozzo.

"Okay, thanks," I shouted in his direction, already headed out the door, intent on finding Tony before he did something stupid.

I paused on the driveway, realising I had no idea where the hell he'd gone.

Okay, right Tim, think. If you were DiNozzo, which way would you go?

He doesn't know the neighbourhood, right?

So, I took a guess and headed right, down the long street, breaking into a jog, praying I could find him soon enough.

I found him about 20 blocks away from the crime scene sat alone under a large oak tree, head in his hands. His entire body racking from the sobs.

I know that we aren't exactly close, but even so, it pained me to see him like this.

In all the years I'd known Tony, I'd never seen him like this.

Not when Kate died.

Not when Director Shepard died.

Not even when we left Ziva in Israel.

Never.

He mustn't have heard me approach because he jumped when I thudded down on the floor, causing all the fallen autumn leaves from under me to crackle and crunch.

I just sat there, looking around, waiting for him to say something.

I don't really know how long I waited, but after what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, Tony lifted his head and finally spoke.

"Did you see it, McGee?" Tony, asked me, staring straight ahead.

"See what?" I asked, confused.

"The look in that guy's eye," he said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, Tony. I didn't," I said, simply, still no idea where he was going with this.

"I've never seen somebody in that much pain. Never, McGee. He looked as though he would just crumble into a million pieces. Like his heart was lain, slashed open on the bed where his wife was. The one thing keeping him alive. Dead. Gone." He said, emotionlessly, still not looking at me.

"Tony, we see this kind of stuff all the time. Broken- hearted and grieving husbands, wives, siblings, children and parents. What's so different about this one?" I asked him.

"I don't know McGee."

"Yeah you do. Otherwise you wouldn't have run out of there." I stated, wanting some truth this time.

"I don't know McGee-" Tony began

"DiNozzo!" I interrupted him, raising my voice and getting angry now.

"Let me finish Tim." He said, without losing control and raising his own voice, as I had mine; though a look of anger crossed his face. "I don't know what it was… But when he looked at me, something about that… That pain and anguish, it just made every single thing that's ever hurt me just explode in my mind at the same time."

A few seconds passed. I wanted him to continue so I just stayed silent.

"The worst thing, the one that hit me the hardest, was that the look in his eyes was so familiar." He continued. "The dead, empty irises. It reminded me of- of when Ziva left. When I thought she was dead. I would've done anything to get away from wherever I was, anything to just die. But the thing is McGee, is that we got her back. Sure as hell she was damaged, but she was alive. Tim he's never going to get her back, he has to endure that pain for the rest of his life. It's just not fair." He dropped his head back into his hands.

I waited a minute or so, just to ensure he was done before I steered the conversation a completely different way.

"Tony?" I asked cautiously, unsure of what his reaction would be to my next question.

He lifted his head to look at me, "Yeah?" He asked, seemingly unaware of the apprehension in my voice.

"Are you- are you in love with Ziva, Tony?" I asked becoming tense and waiting for an explosion of anger to hit me.

Instead, his response took me completely by surprise.

"Yeah, McGee. I have been ever since the day I met her."

I didn't know how to respond to Tony's admittance.

"Oh." Was the only thing I could think of.

"You weren't expecting me to say yes, were you?" Tony said, the inklings of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Honestly, no." I said.

I waited a few seconds, thinking through what I should say next.

"Does she...?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"No." He said, almost as though it was a question. "It's like every time I see her I feel like I should be sad. Because I know y'know… I always have to remember that I'm never going to be the one she wants. It's killing me McGee, but I can't get rid of this… This tie… This hold that she has on me."

I knew the feeling.

"So you're not planning on…?" I asked, again already knowing the answer.

"Do you really think I would have waited six years if I was ever going to?" He asked, smiling sadly.

"Maybe… This sort of thing doesn't happen to you much, Tony." I said.

"I know. That's partly why I don't want to tell her. I don't wanna ruin it. I can live with the maybes and the what ifs, but… Not with her rejection." He said, looking down once again.

"You never know unless you try." I said, simply.

"I don't wanna try McGee." He said, sounding much like a spoiled toddler arguing over food.

"Well then the way I see it, you only have one option."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" He asked me, like he didn't already know.

"Get over her." I said, shortly.

I began to stand up.

"I- I can't do that McGee." He said, worried looking now.

"Well then, looks you're going to have to grow some balls," I said beginning to walk away, "and tell her!" I shouted behind me.

As I walked away, I was already forming a plan in my head. But, to put it into action, I was going to have to call in reinforcements.

I pulled out my cell and began dialling the number that belonged to my favourite person, the number I knew off by heart.

After two rings, she picked up.

"Hello Abby Sciuto's lab."

**A/N Hopefully any question/ confusion as to why Tony ran out has now been answered, if not please let me know :)**


	5. Dinner With Sciuto

**A/N Chapter 5, another one from McGee's POV. :D Annnnnnnnnndddd Abby's in this chapter****! :D Once again, thank you to anybody who read/ reviewed the previous chapter, I thanks you muchly. Hopefully you will think this chapter is good too and you will read it and review it again :D **

Chapter 5- Dinner With Sciuto

After getting all the evidence we needed from the crime scene, and after Ziva took over from Tony and spoke to James herself, we returned to work and began researching anything and everything we could about Christina and her entire life.

By the time it got to 9pm, we were all beginning to get tired and hungry.

Gibbs finally realised, no matter how much caffeine he forced down our throats, that we couldn't work anymore and, rather reluctantly, let us go.

I headed straight down to Abby's lab, we'd arranged to meet for dinner after work so I could explain my plan and how she tied into it.

"McGee!" She shouted as I walked in the door and she, quite literally, jumped on me.

She wrapped me into one of her bone- crushing hugs and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. I slid my arms around her waist and just enjoyed being with her, as I breather in that intoxicating, beautiful and familiar smell that I missed so much.

"Hey Abby," I said, almost unable to keep the widening grin from my face.

"McGee, why haven't you been down here today?" She demanded.

"Abbs I've been real busy up in the bull pen trying to figure out who did it. Gibbs wouldn't let me down to help you," I said, a hint of desperation in my voice as I hoped she'd forgive me.

"Oh McGee it's okay, anyways I've had Bert to keep me company," she said, flashing a grin at me.

"Any luck yet?" I asked hopefully.

"No, this case has me totally stumped," her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked up at me. "I don't like it Timmy."

"I know Abby, none of us have anything yet, and her husband, he really wasn't much help."

"Oh my gosh, Timmy, I forgot!" She almost screeched at me.

"Forgot what?"

"About Tony!"

"Oh yeah, Abbs," I said, rubbing my forehead.

"Did he really say that he loved Ziva?"

"Yeah, since the day he met her."

"Wow"

"I know Abby I just didn't know what to say to him"

"Oh Timmy, it's okay. I don't think any of us would've known"

"Yeah, well we better get going if we actually wanna eat tonight?"

"Yes, yes of course, just lemme get my stuff?"

"Sure"

"Hey, where are we going anyway," she shouted from the back room.

"It's this little Italian place I found a while back, just off the highway?"

"Oh, I love Italian!" She said, as she tottered out to me. "Ready?"

"After you," I said.

Ten minutes later, we were sat in my car driving to the restaurant. It was about a fifteen minute drive to the place but with it being later than usual, we made it in almost ten.

During the journey we'd just talked about anything and everything, the whole Tony/ Ziva thing was something we'd agreed on the way out to save for dinner.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, it was just after half nine.

We sat down at the table and ordered some drinks, Abby a bottle of white wine and me some coke, seeing as I'd already offered to drive the both of us home.

"So, McGee," Abby began when we were finally settled. "What's this plan you were telling me about on the phone?"

"Okay," I said, leaning across the table towards her, "You know how Tony and Ziva-"

"Tiva," Abby corrected me.

"What?" I asked, confused already.

"Tiva," she repeated. "You know how they like mash celebrity couples' names together? Like Brangelina is Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie?"

"Um yeah?"

"Well Tiva is Tony and Ziva," she said, "kind of like our own little celebrities at NCIS," she said, grinning at me.

"Okay Abby, Tiva it is. Erm where was I? Oh, yeah. So you know how Tiva are like perfect for each other?"

"Obviously it's been like that since forever!" She said, sounding like a teenage girl.

"Well, after what Tony said to me today-" I started.

"About how he loves Ziva?" She interrupted again, a questioning look on her face.

"Yeah Abby, anyway, I was thinking, if they've known each other this long and if they do feel the same way about each other and they've actually taken this long and still not done anything, maybe we should, y'know give them a push in the right direction?" I said looking at Abby hoping she'd agree with me.

"Oh my gosh Timmy you're a genius! She exclaimed. "Why, no how didn't I think of this before? We should've done this years ago! Especially after what Ziva said the other day," Thinking aloud again.

"Wait, what?" I said.

"Whoops," she said, looking down sheepishly.

"Abby what did Ziva say the other day?" I inquired.

"Just how she thought that, maybe, Tony was right for her?" She said, the pitch of her voice going higher and higher.

*Flashback*

"Abby?" Ziva said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wonder if perhaps you have met the person you're supposed to love, the one, like your soul mate?"

My thoughts instantly flashed to the one face I really didn't want them to. The big green eyes and my favourite face filling my mind. McGee.

"Um yeah I suppose so Ziva. Why?" I asked.

"I do not know Abby," Ziva said nervously.

"Yeah you do Ziva, just tell me."

"I think, perhaps, it is Tony. That he is my soul mate. Maybe I am not his, but I think that he is mine." She looked down at her feet.

"Oh my gosh Ziva this is huge!" I said excitedly.

"Abby, no. Promise, _promise_ me you will not breathe a word to anybody about this Abby, even McGee," she said to me angrily.

"Promise, Ziva."

*End of Flashback*

"Guess I kinda broke that promise," she said looking down sadly.

"Wow," I said.

"Yeah Timmy, wow," she repeated.

But whilst they sat discussing this, Abby and McGee had no idea that Ziva was hatching her own plans.


	6. Did I Even Want To Hear That?

**A/N Okay, over the next few weeks I'm gunna be super super busy with different things and I'm not going to have as much time to write so, until further notice, I'm only going to be updating once a week on Wednesdays still. I'm really sorry! But I'd rather be giving you hopefully better, albeit longer chapter than mega short chapters that don't flow very well ****or are generally really bad. I've now set myself up for some super awesome next few chapters which I will get to work on ASAP. Anywho here's what you're here for chapter 6, for which we're returning to Ziva's POV (hopefully I haven't screwed this up at all). Again thanks to any readers/ reviewers, I promise that there will be more McAbby later on but I believe it's time for more Tiva right now :D Again please read and review this chapter and hopefully you'll like it.**

Chapter 6- Did I Even Want to Hear That?

The second Gibbs let us go, I grabbed my things and headed straight for the elevator. I was halfway out the door when I realised I had promised Abby earlier that I would come down when I was done and say goodbye to her. I could not remember the other reason she gave.

I was about to go into her lab when I overheard another voice in there, a man's voice. It took me a few more seconds to realise that the man was McGee.

I tried to figure out what they were talking about and I had to lean even closer towards the door frame, and hope that Abby and McGee would not see me.

"Oh my gosh, Timmy, I forgot!" I heard Abby screech.

I pressed my ear to the wall.

"Forgot what?" McGee asked her.

"About Tony!" She almost squealed this time.

Wait, what about Tony? Was there really anything about Tony that I did not know? After all, I was his partner, he should not be keeping anything from me. Why would McGee know before me?

"Oh yeah, Abbs," I heard McGee say.

Whatever it is, I must already know, I know everything about him. Don't I?

"Did he really say that he loved Ziva?" Abby said, slight shock in her voice.

WHAT?

I barely even heard the next sentence, I was in so much shock.

"Yeah, since the day he met her."

How? When? What?

Why would Tony ever love somebody like me?

Everything in my head began to spin and I bolted for the stairs.

I could only think of three words as I ran, straight up the stairs and out of the building.

"Oh my god."

I fumbled around in my bag for my cars keys and when I eventually did find them it took me a lot longer than usual to fit me key into the lock, my hand was shaking so badly.

I slammed the door shut and sat in the seat, eyes closed, hands on the wheel trying to gain control of myself and my emotions.

After a few minutes, I put my keys into the ignition and started up the car.

I did not have any idea where I was driving to, I was just driving.

It was not until I arrived outside Tony's apartment, that I realised that I had known exactly where I was going the whole time.

I just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Why did Tony love me?

Me?

It is not as if I don't love him aswell, I just do not understand it.

And why had he ran away from the crime scene this morning?

No explanation, no reason, he just ran.

I walked up to the door of Tony's apartment and paused briefly, gathering my thoughts before knocking, three times and waiting for him to answer.

I planned to demand of him what the hell was going on.

I planned to shout at him and scream at him until he told me.

I was just so angry at him.

But, the second he opened the door, and I took in his beautiful face.

The short brown hair that was all messed up.

The troubled, sparkling, emerald green eyes.

The strong jawline.

Why was he so perfect?

I looked up at him, and all the anger and annoyance I had had for him only seconds earlier, completely dissipated.

"Tony," I breathed.

"Ziva? What're you doing here," he asked, almost looking angry at me.

"I came… I came to ask you a question Tony," I said, unsure of how to deliver it.

"Yes," he replied.

"You do not know the question yet, Tony," I said, confused.

"No, Zi, I meant yes… Y'know as in go on, what's your question," He smiled at me.

"Oh, right, sorry," I said, looking down sheepishly.

"Go on Ziva…" he said, awaiting my reply.

"Tony, I… Overheard McGee and Abby talking before. They said something that made me confused. I want to know if it is true Tony," I said.

"What did the McGeek say?" He asked, attempting to be relaxed even though I could see the confusion in his eyes. He almost seemed scared, apprehensive of my answer.

"Tony… He said, that… That you… Love me?" I asked questioningly, the pitch of my voice raising higher and higher as I spoke.

"Um…"


	7. Do or Die

**A/N Okay, incredibly short chapter, I'm sorry! I've been super super busy and I'm really struggling to write. I'll work on chapter 8 & 9 over the next couple of days and hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll be able to get two chapters up this week. Again, if I don't I'm sorry! Anywho, chapter 7. So the first 2 lines are a flashback from chapter 6. After that, anything thats's 'normal writing' is from Tony's POV, anything in italics is Ziva's POV. It's a bit of a filler chapter, all thoughts, no dialouge, hopefully it's okay. Please review and I'm hoping you'll continue to read this and you'll still enjoy it... So yeah, chapter sevennn... :)**

Chapter 7- Do or Die

"_Tony… He said, that… That you… Love me?"_

_ "Um…" _

Oh shit.

Why was she asking me this?

Why did she even need to ask me?

She already knows the answer.

Doesn't she?

I mean I would've thought after all this time… Maybe she would've guessed?

Obviously not.

And why the hell was McGee going round telling Abby how I felt about Ziva?

He knew…

He **knew**I never wanted Ziva to find out about it.

There were times when I'd thought maybe…

But not here, not now.

Not after today.

I felt like I'd been stood here for hours looking down at those beautiful dark, bewitching, chocolate brown eyes.

But it had barely been ten seconds.

_I was just standing there, at his apartment door._

_Waiting._

_Waiting for the answer to the one question that could change my entire life._

_I had spent all these years running from the answer._

_I was sick of it._

_The maybes and what ifs._

_Now, I just wanted to know._

_Did he love me?_

_Or was it time for me to give up on this fantasy I have been living ever since I joined NCIS._

_So I stood._

_And I waited._

_The second ticked by._

_All he did was look at me blankly._

_Like he was not even there._

_Like he did not even hear what I just asked him._

Okay, I need to say something.

She's waiting for me to say something.

Should I just tell her the truth?

Yes, Ziva, I love you. I always have loved you.

I could picture the little scenario in my head.

Telling the truth.

The world where Ziva would love me back.

But this…

This wasn't some fantasy I could think up.

This is reality.

This was my moment in life.

My time to make things right.

Or my time to ruin everything I'd built up in my mind.

It was my time.

I had to answer her.

Now or never.

Do or die.


	8. Answering The Unanswerable Question

**A/N Chapter 8, woo! Not much longer than the others, even though I promised an extra long chapter... Sorry, but seriously, I promise (and you can totally hold me to this) that chapter 9 will be nice and long. Anywhoo, back to chapter eight. It's from Tony's POV and basically, its the end to the little 3 chapter Tiva sequence I've had going on. I'll get back to the case soon enough (I don't want to leave it unsolved), which I'd all but forgotten about. Soo chapter 8, read, hopefully enjoy, and PLEASE review (even just a word?)because I only got two review for my last chapter and I feel as though people are loosing intrest in the story. So please review. Thank you to anybody who's reading this though :) If I can finish chapter 9 soonish, I may upload on Saturday, however, if I don't I'm sorry, I will make up for it later on. Thanks again :)**

Chapter 8- Answering The Unanswerable Question

"Ziva…"

"Tony," she said shakily.

"Ziva, this was never how I wanted you to find out…" She looked almost as if she had been stunned into silence. "I'd always kinda hoped that if I ever ended up telling you-"

"-If? You mean to say that if I had not overheard McGee and Abby, you would never have told me?" She almost looked angry at me.

"I don't know Zi… I just thought that y'know if I did tell you… And you didn't like me back… I just didn't think that I could've carried on anymore…" I stared down at my feet.

"Tony…" She reached up to touch my cheek, lifting my gaze from my feet to her beautiful dark eyes and looked me right in the eyes. The look that crossed her face and eyes at that second could only be described as sheer vulnerability. "What made you think I did not feel the same way?"

Wait, what?

She…

Did she like me back?

I stood there, my thoughts whipping around my mind.

I guess I must've looked so stupid.

Stood there just looking at her.

I was speechless.

How could somebody like Ziva, somebody that beautiful, that perfect and that special ever like somebody like me?

"Anthony DiNozzo," she almost laughed, "I do not think I have ever seen you at a loss for words before."

"So… You're not gunna like, beat me up or kill me or something?"

"No…" She said, confusion in her eyes, "Tony what makes you think that I would want to beat you up… Or kill you?"

"Well it's just… Um Zi you remember that time when were in the observation room a few years back?" She nodded so I continued. "And we were talking… And you were telling me about things… And you told me about your first fight? And how it started… And that you beat the boy up… because he told you he liked you? Well that's was when I had it almost… Concrete in my mind that you couldn't know… That you could never know… Because I just thought you'd never like me back in that way… And I couldn't face rejection again Zi… I just couldn't… And then the fact that if you knew…. you'd never let me live it down… And I really thought that you'd literally kill me… I just never thought I'd have the guts to tell you… And… Well I guess I haven't really." I realised I'd been rambling again. I never really understood why I did that when I was nervous.

"So… Tell me if I am wrong… But, the reason you have never told me… Left me wondering for all these years about whether or not you like me… Was because you thought I would… Hurt you?" She said, looking upset that I'd thought something like that.

"I guess so, Zi," I answered, kind of scared in case she got angry at me.

"Tony… Do you not understand?" She asked.

"Understand what?"

"That I would never hurt you for telling me the one thing that I have been hoping that you would say to me for years?"

"Really?" I asked her, shock, confusion and excitement all registering in my voice at the same time.

"Really," she replied, smiling at me, almost making me melt into nothingness right there.

"You're sure?" I asked, feeling as though my heart was going to beat right out of my chest.

"Yes Tony. I am more sure of this than I have been of anything in my life."

"Ziva…" I began, honestly feeling happier than I had in my entire life.

"This is what you want Tony?" She asked me, seriously now.

"It's all I've wanted since the day I met you, Zi," I answered, honestly.

She stepped closer to me and wrapped her slender arms around my neck. And I knew, this was her own way, the Ziva way, of saying she felt the same.

"I love you, Ziva," I told her, a grin sneaking it's way across my face and from ear to ear.

"I love you too, Tony," she replied, tightening her grip around my neck.

We just stood there holding each other outside of my apartment, and, I've got to say, if anybody would've walked out of their apartments and seen the two of us just standing there, they would've thought that we were pretty weird.

Well, me anyways.

After, what seemed like forever, but also not quite long enough, Ziva pulled away.

"I know that you will think this is stupid, but it is getting late, and Gibbs said he would like us in early tomorrow, and I would not exactly like to be slapped around the back of the head, even if you enjoy it I do not think I would." She rambled, "I think I should go home," she sighed.

"No Zi, don't go," I begged.

"I need to get some sleep Tony, as do you, you have had an…" she paused to look down at her feet, struggling to find the right words to describe the mess of a day I'd had. "Emotional day."

"Please Zi just stay… I can't take another night on my own," I begged again.

She lifted her line of sight to look at me.

"You would like me to stay here?" She questioned me.

"Of course I do Ziva."

"Then I will stay with you." She said, simply.

It was as though anything that I wanted her to do, she'd do it for me.

Which realistically made a lot of sense, seeing as that was the way it was for me.

Hell, if she told me to jump off a bridge, I'd probably do it.

"Well, what're you doing standing outside still?" I said, then leaning closer to her I whispered in her ear, "You're gunna get cold."

I stood up straight again and I looked at her seeing her cheeks slowly flooding with a perfect rosy pink colour.

Wait, Ziva, blushing?

Obviously I don't know as much about her as I thought I did.

I lifted my arm and held out my right hand, gesturing for her to take it.

She looked up at me, almost hesitantly, like she'd never done this before.

I waited. I wasn't going to move my hand. She'd already agreed to stay with me. Right?

Slowly she looked down at my hand, and reached out her own to take it.

I led her in front of me and kicked the door behind me shut.


	9. Breakfast At Timmy's

**A/N Sorry it's a couple of hours late (I usually update in the mornings before school but I overslept this morning so sorry for the delay) but here's chapter 9. It's nice and long to make up for the hideously short chapters I've been giving you. I've tried a new thing with this because... It's from Abby's POV! I'm not too sure if it works or not, or even if it sounds like Abby, a friend of mine assured me that it does, but I'm still not too sure so please let me know what you think. This is a direct continuation from chapter 5 and it's basically the rest of Abby and McGee's night (as you may have guess from the chapter title, it includes the next morning too ;D). So far, all the chapters (including the first half of this) have happened on the same day. Thanks to the people who review the last chapter I'm very grateful. I'm off school next week so I should get a little writing done and hopefully go back to my original plan of updating twice a week. Anywho, chapter time. Read & review please :) (People don't seem to like centred so centred is now gone)**

Chapter 9- Breakfast at Timmy's

"So, tell me, tell me, tell me, what do we do now?" I said, leaning even further across the table towards him and looking even deeper into his eyes, oh wow, they're green today. They resembled the colour of copper acetoarsenite. Toxic. The opposite of Timmy. A perfect contrast. I could just feel myself getting lost in them already… God, Abby. Focus, c'mon this is about Tony and Ziva and how you're gunna get them together, it isn't about you getting back with Timmy. It's not about how you still love him.

"It's been, what, 6 years Abbs. If they've waited this long do you really think they're gunna do anything about it? They both love each other but they just don't know it." He said, kind of a look of defeat on his face and y'know I guess I kinda felt bad for him, I think Timmy felt a little bit responsible for not helping yet and really, I didn't know how we were supposed to do it.

And then it struck me, "So we have to find a way for them to realise it!"

"Exactly. I don't know if it'll work, but I think I have an idea."

"Oh what, what, what?" By this point, my mind was pretty much racing, I mean, what could we actually do to get them together without being totally obvious about it?

"I'm not really sure how to do this Abby, he said, looking down, I mean, getting people together, it isn't something I do every day… So I was thinking something simple, y'know? Something like a set up or something. What do you think?"

"No. No. Timmy you've got it all wrong," I said shaking my head, "I don't think we could do anything super obvious, cos that'd be stupid and it'd give away the fact that we both know that they love each other. But I'm totally stumped now, because y'know I really can't think of a way of letting them know without actually letting them know? Wait, that makes no sense…"

"No. Abbs I know what you mean. We have to get them together without them realising that's what we're doing. Or even that we're involved."

"THAT'S IT!" I shouted, almost jumping out my chair in excitement.

"What's it Abby?"

"I KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET THEM TOGETHER," I screeched and squealed in excitement.

"Okay, Abby that's awesome but will you please just sit down and stop shouting?" He said, looking a little embarrassed and annoyed.

"What?" I asked looking around to find several heads turned in mine and Timmy's direction, "Oh, sorry," I said, slowly and carefully shrinking back down into my seat.

I started humming absentmindedly to myself.

"Abby," Timmy said.

"What?" I asked, continuing to hum.

"The plan?" He said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh shit the plan, sorry," I leaned so close to him this time that our faces were almost touching.

I tilted my head to the side slightly, and began to tell him.

Two hours later we were still sat in the restaurant.

I couldn't even believe we'd been here so long.

After briefly discussing my new and totally awesome plan, we'd moved onto other things, y'know more general conversation.

It was the kind of talk you'd usually have when you were on a date.

But, as much as I wished that we were on a date, we weren't.

We were so engrossed in some stupid conversation about the case we were all on right now.

We were talking about who'd done it.

"As far as I'm concerned it has GOT to be the husband," I shouted, laughing.

"No way!" He shouted, "It can't be him."

"It's always the husband though!" I said, shaking my head.

"Not always," he said, smiling the most perfect smile I'd ever seen.

"Okay then, why wouldn't he have done it?" I asked him, propping my chin up in my hands.

"I don't know. I just think, after what Tony said about him. The way it affected him, y'know. The look it his eyes Tony was talking about," he looked down at his hands and shrugged.

I took my hands out from under my chin and took his.

"It's okay y'know Timmy. Besides, I know it doesn't happen much, but, I don't know, maybe you're right," I said, squeezing his hands tightly.

He laughed.

"Why are you laughing at me?" I demanded, frowning at him.

"I'm not laughing at you!" He said, grinning, "Yeah you are."

"I'm just laughing at the fact you think you're barely ever wrong," he continued to grin, cockily at me.

"I'm not!" I shouted, my mouth wide open in shock at him, but trying not to smile at the same time.

"With science maybe," he said, more seriously now, "but not always with other things."

I frowned at him.

"Hey, don't get annoyed at me," he said, it was his time to squeeze my hands.

"I'm not. I just don't like hearing that you think I'm wrong," I said, continuing to frown.

"Okay then, you're only ever occasionally wrong. Happy?" He said, raising his eyebrows at me questioningly.

"I guess," I said, slouching in my seat slightly.

"Abbs," he said, dragging out each letter.

"Okay, it's great," I said, sitting back up properly and smiling again.

Out the corner of my eye I could see the tall, slender waitress walk up to our table and stand a few feet away, shifting awkwardly between her feet.

I looked up at her expectantly.

"I'm really sorry, but it's getting late, we're supposed to be closing up," She rolled up her sleeve and looked at her watch. "Actually we were supposed to close up over a half hour ago," She said looking slightly sheepish.

"Oh my gosh, we're sorry," I said, letting go of his hands and reaching behind me to get my jacket.

I put it on and stood up.

Timmy did the same and as we headed out he reached for my hand again.

My stomach felt as though it had literally erupted in butterflies at this new level of contact.

I hadn't held hands with him in so long.

It felt like a hidden sign.

We headed out to the car in silence.

I didn't really want to talk.

This whole moment just felt too perfect to ruin with words.

When we got the car, Timmy reached towards the passenger side window, but my hand beat his to it.

He looked up at me, and just for a second, I saw a glimpse of something in his eyes, something he was trying to hide.

"Abby," he began, hesitantly.

I moved closer towards him and touched a forefinger to his lips.

I slowly shook my head at him, my eyes giving my intentions away more than I would have liked them to.

His lips were so close to mine.

Acting completely upon impulse, and the growing desire I'd had for him all night, I took my finger from his lips and gently traced it along his well-structured jawline, slowly reaching my hand around to the base of his neck.

My subsequent actions spoke for themselves, and my need for him to be silent.

I gently tilted his head down to my level and carefully placed my lips upon his.

No matter how careful and gentle I was my entire body felt as though the nerve endings in it were exploding.

And no matter how slow I tried to be, within a matter of seconds it had escalated from an innocent kiss into something so much more.

I'd forgotten how much of a good kisser he was.

My body curved inwardly to match the shape of his.

A few seconds later and I realised that there was no way I was going to be sleeping alone tonight.

McGee detached himself from my lips, and I whimpered slightly at the loss of contact between us.

"Abby, we can't do this," he said, looking down as though it was painful for him to say it.

"We can do whatever we want," I whispered back at him, pulling his lips back to mine.

At least this time he didn't pull away.

We stood there kissing for several minutes, and with every second that passed the need and the desire inside me for him increased.

I could tell he felt the same aswell.

With each passing minute, the kiss grew more intense and passionate.

There was no way either of us were getting out of this tonight.

Carefully, though it pained me to do so, I pulled away.

The only reason I let him go was for hope that he would agree to my next question and the contact I hoped for later would make up for it.

"Mind if I stay at your place tonight?" I asked him, breathing heavily.

He didn't respond with words, instead he quickly opened up the passenger door to let me in and raced round the other side.

He wrenched his door open and thrust the keys into the ignition, not bothering with his seatbelt before speeding off out of the parking lot.

I'd never seen McGee drive so recklessly before.

Then again, if I was in his position, I probably would've done the same, if not a thousand times worse.

A car journey that should have taken twenty minutes took us less than five.

Granted the roads were almost empty, given it was almost midnight.

Personally, I put it mostly down to McGee's driving.

He drove as though we were driving a stolen car.

God forbid the size of the fine we would've gotten if the cops would've seen us.

We both ripped our doors open the second McGee got into the parking lot of his apartment and, stupidly, raced up the stairs.

When we reached the door to his apartment, I attacked McGee's face and neck with kisses.

He attempted to find his keys and, once he did, he fumbled trying to open the door, seeing as he was slightly distracted.

Once the door was open, we practically fell over each other as we stumbled inside.

McGee took a couple of steps backwards and dragged me with him, slamming the door shut, and closing us off into our own, blissful world.

Away from everybody else out there.

I woke up early the next morning, which wasn't surprising as that happened most mornings.

I rolled over onto my other side, to check my clock and see what time it was.

On my way over, I encountered a large, warm body and almost died from the shock of it.

Slowly, I began to remember the night before and its events.

Several of the memories almost made me want to blush.

Hey, I didn't. Trust me it takes A LOT to make a Sciuto blush.

I tried to get my bearings and remember where McGee had his clock.

I realised I'd been turning the wrong way.

I rolled back over onto my side and looked at the digital clock on the bedside table.

It told me that it was 6 a.m.

As much as it pained me to get up I did so.

I swung my legs around to the harsh cold of the pale wooden flooring.

I stood up cautiously, to ensure I didn't get dizzy.

I slowly and silently padded out into the living room and through into the kitchen, to start on an awesome breakfast.

Gibbs wanted all of us in early this morning.

If I was a little late, he wouldn't mind, but with McGee, Gibbs wasn't always so forgiving.

And after last night, Timmy totally deserved it,

After rifling through the relatively empty cupboards, I settled on pancakes and bacon.

Timmy likes bacon, right?

As I cooked, I took some time to mull over last night's events and at least attempt to figure them out before I had to confront Timmy.

It's pretty simple really.

I love him.

Obviously he feels something towards me too, or he wouldn't have slept with me, right?

I just feel like I'm full of questions.

And then, something kind of occurred to me.

I hadn't realised that everything I'd been missing, everything I'd been trying to find for the past 8 years, had been literally right under my nose the entire time.

So if Timmy does like me, what else is there for me to do?

Who am I kidding, why would he ever love me?

The smell wafting out of the kitchen must've woken him up because, a couple of minutes later, McGee also emerged from the bedroom looking pretty tired.

"Morning, sleepy-head," I said to him grinning.

"Hey," he said playfully hitting my arm.

He peered over towards the pan to see what I was cooking.

"Pancakes?" He asked curiously.

"And bacon," I smiled up at him.

"I didn't know you could cook," he said, sounding surprised.

"Oh, I can't. But I can cook bacon, and hey, pancakes aren't that hard, right?"

"Well I can't make them…"

"Oh yes, coming from a domestic goddess, that is," I said grinning widely.

"Oh ha ha very funny," he responded sarcastically.

"I should get home so I can get ready, I can't be turning up at work wearing the same things as yesterday now, can I," I said, winking at him.

"Okay, you mind driving me in too?"

"Huh?"

"My cars still at the office Abbs," he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, shit, yeah sorry, of course. Well," I said, "eat up, I'll be back in a half hour to get you, be ready, yeah?"

"Of course," he grinned at me.

I returned to his bedroom to pick up yesterday's clothing and quickly dressed.

I returned to the kitchen, and headed for the door.

"Half an hour Timmy," I shouted behind me, slamming the door shut.

I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I walked downstairs and out to my car.


	10. Finishing Up Part 1

**A/N Hey, sorry the chapter's up late again, but at least it's still Wednesday? I've literally just finished it up now. It's a short chapter and it's not really that good but I want to finish this case up (I can't leave a case unfinished) and I'll do that over the next two chapters and then we can get back to the Tiva and McAbby, woo! Anyway looks like I'm slightly going to enjoy the fact that you won't get to find out what happened with Tony and Ziva that night… Yet… This just picks up the next morning, when everybody's already at work. Sorry! It's from Tony's POV again :) Read and hopefully you'll think it's okay and then review :D**

Chapter 10- Finishing Up- Part 1

I'd been in work for all of 2 hours looking for some sort of a lead on this, and even fresh faced this morning as I was, the few hours of sleep I'd had weren't helping.

Heck, if anything going home last night was just taking my mind further and further off of the case.

In my mind I just kept on playing and replaying everything that had happened, and I could feel the toothy smile sneaking its way across my face.

As the grin crept across my face, my eyes crept upwards, to the desk facing me. Where the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life sat.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows were furrowing together in her concentration, and underneath them, her beautiful chocolate brown eyes stared at her screen.

It was strange, how different the two of us were; her so concentrated in her work, and myself, so intent on procrastinating from doing just that.

I was awakened back into the real world by Gibbs' familiar ringtone.

He glanced at the caller id quickly and picked up. "Yeah, Ducky, I'll send DiNozzo down now."

So I guess Gibbs must've noticed that I'd hardly done anything all morning.

I just hoped he hadn't noticed who I could barely keep my eyes off.

Or even worse, why I couldn't concentrate…

He nodded his head at me once, and I jumped up and headed right over to the elevator and, once inside, I pressed the button for sub- basement and headed on down to autopsy.

The elevator pinged and I hopped out. The automatic doors to autopsy slid open and I strolled inside.

"Ah, Anthony," Ducky said.

"Hey Ducky, you got anything for us?" I said, hopefully.

"Let me guess, you have no leads as of yet?" Ducky asked me.

"Nope, nothing, nada," I said bluntly.

"Well, I haven't found anything out of the ordinary. As you've already seen, her stomach has been slashed violently, so obviously she bled to death. There's no unusual bruising or broken bones. She seems a perfectly healthy woman. However, the lack of bruising or fractures implies that she knew her attacker."

"Okay, well thanks Ducky. Maybe this will finally get us somewhere on this case," I said, already heading towards the door.

"Oh, Anthony, I sent the blood up to Abigail, perhaps she will be able to give you a little more on this?"

"Thanks Ducky," I said, exiting autopsy and pressing the button on the elevator that would take me back up to the bullpen.

I pretty much jumped out of the elevator, in the excitement of some sort of lead on this stupid case at last.

"Boss," I shouted running into the bullpen. I looked at Gibbs' empty desk in confusion.

"Where's the fire DiNozzo?" A hand slapped around the back of my head, full force, accompanied by Gibbs' familiar voice.

"No boss, no fire. Ducky just told us that whoever killed Christina, she knew 'em."

"That's it?" He asked expectantly.

"Well yeah," I said, wondering why he expected anymore. "I mean c'mon boss it's a lead isn't it?"

"Not a very good one, but if you wanna follow it, take Ziva with you."

"Really boss?" I said, the smile back on my face.

"Hey, like you said DiNozzo, it's a lead."

I grabbed my bag, shouted Ziva and headed with her over to the elevator.

"Where are we going Tony?" Ziva asked me, questioningly.

"We, Ziva, are following a lead," I said, grinning at her.

**A/N Short, I know, sorry! I'll do a longer next chapter so that I can actually finish this case. Thank you to anybody who reviewed the last chapter, or anyone who added it to their story alerts, it makes me happy to know people are reading it :) Review please :D**


	11. Important Authors Notice!

Okay, so first thing, I'm sorry this isn't a new chapter! And it's not even the author of this story (I'm her kind of beta); the thing is she has broken her laptop so she can't upload for a few days. She had hoped it would be fixed today, but apparently it's worse than she thought (it gets worse...), she did have up to chapter 13 written but has lost it all, I will however, force her to write it all again so when the laptops fixed you shall have your update! She is hoping to get it fixed ASAP so your wait shouldn't be too long (hopefully!) Anyways, she just wanted me to post this to apologise and let you know she hasn't abandoned the story (I would personally kill her for you don't worry:P)

She says thank you to everyone who is still with the story and says sorry again!


	12. Finishing Up Part 2

**A/N I'm so sorry that I've been absent for so long. When my laptop eventually did get fixed, I ended up super busy with various things and I'll admit, I sort of lost a bit of interest in this. Evidently certain people (not naming names) weren't exactly thrilled about this. It took me quite a while to get the entire chapter together but I have been working on it for quite a few weeks now. Again I apologise for leaving it so long, but I'll get on with it now. This is not the final part of the case, sadly, though I may have hoped that it would be. However, it probably won't re-surface again for a few chapters, following the events of this chapter. It's completely Ziva's POV, and it picks up in pretty much exactly the same place that chapter 10 ended. So hopefully it isn't too bad seeing as I literally finished it off a couple of minutes ago. Anyway, read, review and hopefully you won't hate me too much for leaving it so long.**

Chapter 11- Finishing Up- Part 2

We stood on a front porch that neither of us had expected to have to return to, still with questions.

We had thought- no we had hoped, that the next time we stood here, we would have answers.

But still we were stood here with questions.

A million questions.

I looked up at Tony, hoping he could be the one to knock on the door, but realised, after whatever had happened last time we were at this house, I would have to be the one to do it.

I knocked, and we waited.

The same man who had been here yesterday stood looking at us.

I was as certain of the fact that he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, as I was certain of the fact that he had not slept last night.

"NCIS," he said, meant as a question but coming out as a statement.

Tony stood in silence so I took over.

"Yes, I am Special Agent David and this is Special Agent DiNozzo, we were here yesterday?"

"Did you find the person who- who hurt Chrissie?" He said, his eyes filling with a hint of hope yet still managing to look empty.

I looked down and I noticed James' shoulders slump slightly. "No we did not, we came to ask you a few questions about who she spent her time with."

"Um, yeah of course, come on in," he opened the door and stepped aside.

We walked in and he shut the door, gesturing us to sit on the sofa.

"Mr Milton," I began.

"You can just call me James. Mr Milton doesn't sound right right now."

"Alright then, James," I said, smiling as warmly as I could in this situation.

Tony then took over, "we may as well just cut to the chase here James, I presume you have other things to be getting on with."

"Not really," he interrupted, "but you guys probably do…"

"Well anyway," Tony said, "we need to know who Christina was with and where she was the night before she was killed and on the day of her death."

"I'm not really too sure about the day, I mean I was at work and usually on those days she stays in and catches up on sleep. She didn't mention anything about going anywhere in particular. But I'm pretty sure that the night before she was with my sister, Ariana, probably at her place. They were close. That's partly how we got together y'know," he smiled fondly to himself, "Chrissie and Ri were roommates in college, one summer Chrissie came to visit and we just… We just clicked… It always felt like we were just meant to be y'know … Meant for each other… "

I exchanged a quick glance with Tony.

"I'm rambling, talking nonsense again. I'm sorry," he apologised.

"Oh no James you are not. I understand exactly what you mean," I said, again looking at Tony.

"Thanks… Oh God. Ri's gunna be devastated," he looked down at the floor.

"You haven't told her yet?" Tony asked, an almost undetectable hint of shock in his voice.

"No," he said, sounding ashamed in himself.

"Even though she had known Petty Officer Chadwick for longer than you have? And she was her closest friend?" I asked.

"I guess I just- I just didn't have the balls."

"We will need to go and speak to her now as part of our investigation, so if you would like break the news to her yourself, you will have to do it in the next few minutes. May I ask, where does she live?" I asked.

"Of course."

James wrote the address down on the paper and we bid our goodbyes, hoping the next time that we saw him would be to deliver the news of the killer.

I had a feeling that it really wasn't going to be that simple.

An hour later, we were stood outside Ariana's apartment, hoping she would be able to give us _some_ idea of who may have killed Petty Officer Chadwick- Milton.

Tony reached his hand up to knock on the door as I looked nervously at him.

There was no answer.

Tony knocked again.

Still no answer.

We stood outside, waiting for a few minutes.

Just to ensure that she had not already heard us and was on her way to the door.

Sure enough, about a minute later, we heard the door unlock slowly and a head popped out.

She was a relatively small bleach blonde girl, with big icy blue eyes and fair skin.

She was very pretty and probably only in her early twenties as Petty Officer Chadwick had been.

She seemed quite happy.

It was evident that James had not told her what had happened.

I instantly felt bad for the news we were about to deliver to her.

"Ariana Milton?" Tony said.

"Um no, that'd be my roommate. May I help you? She's a little busy right now."

"We're from NCIS, I'm Special Agent DiNozzo, this is Special Agent David," Tony said, "we need to speak to Miss Milton about the murder of her sister-in-law Petty Officer Christina Chadwick-Milton."

"Erm yeah sure," she sighed deeply, "come on in. Just be gentle with her will you? She only just found out."

So James had called her.

"You mind sticking round for a while? We're gunna need to talk to you aswell."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere anyways with Ri in this state."

She lead us into a rather large bedroom where a tall looking, slender brunette with wild curly hair that covered her face from our view, sat.

Tony leaned over towards me and whispered into my ear very softly, "Looks like a guilty conscience to me."

I was quick to punch his arm rather brutally.

"Ouch, Zi," he said, glaring at me.

"What?" I asked, looking at him innocently.

He glared at me, so I responded to it with a sickly sweet smile.

The girls' shoulders racked from the silent sobs.

I stood awkwardly by the doorway.

I never quite knew what to do when people were crying.

I looked sideways at Tony, hoping for once he had noticed my awkwardness and would overtake me.

However, Tony being Tony was oblivious as ever.

I stepped in front of him and began warily, "Ariana, I know that you are upset right now, but we need to talk to you so we can find the person that killed Petty Officer Chadwick and close our case."

Her cries only became louder at this point and I looked to Tony helplessly.

He caught my eye, at last and stepped forwards towards the girl.

"Listen Ariana, I know that this is hard for you, but if you can just maybe try to calm down a little bit and-"

"Look, I'm sorry but I think you guys need to leave," Ariana's roommate interrupted, rudely.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name before," Tony said.

"It's Dahrah, Dahrah Goulden," she said, glaring at us.

"Well, Miss Goulden, I'm sorry that she's upset and all, but talking to Ariana is the only lead that we have at the moment, you can't stop us from talking to her, otherwise you'd be obstructing our investigation. We have to talk to her," Tony replied, beginning to get angry.

"Well you aren't talking to her here. She can come down to your little NCIS headquarters or whatever. But what you aren't gunna do, is continue interviewing Ri here."

I decided to step in, before Tony began to rip a stripe from Dahrah. "Fine. If we cannot interview Ariana here, then she will come to NCIS. Tomorrow."

"Of course."

"Let's go Tony," I said, turning on my heel, "We will let ourselves out," I shouted behind me.

I slammed the door shut and continued to walk down the stairs and out to our car.

When I was finally sat down in the passenger seat, Tony spoke.

"That was… Interesting."

"Very much," I replied, shortly.

"What're you thinking?" Tony asked me.

"That you should hurry up and start driving so that we get back and find out more about this Ariana and that Dahrah."

"I like your thinking David," Tony grinned winking at me.

We sat in silence for a few moments.

"Well? Drive."

"Sure."

"And do not look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that."

"Okay?"

"Good."

"My God what is up with you today?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah there is."

"No, Tony there is not."

"Is it something to do with what happened last night? Cos I was thinking maybe you could come back to mine again after work?" I didn't reply. "You know if we ever get out," he laughed.

"No."

"What?"

"I said no Tony. What happened last night cannot happen again."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't mean what I said."

"Then why did you say it?"

"I do not know. I had had a lot to drink."

"You were sober as shit David you drove to my place."

"Then it was hot of the moment."

"Heat of the moment," he corrected me.

"Whatever."

"Stop making excuses," Tony bursted out.

"They are not excuses," I shouted back.

"Yeah they are."

We just glared at each other. Nothing was said. I did not think anything could be said.

"You know what, you're right. Let's just forget it ever happened."

**A/N I'm so sorry for leaving it like this, if you didn't hate me before, it's possible you will now. Things will sort themselves out soon enough, in the form of a certain silver haired man, but not giving too much away obviously ;) I'm going comping this weekend but as soon as this is up, and as soon as I've packed, I'll have a quick go at chapter 12. I'll hopefully get it up by Wednesday and then I'll try to get back into my weekly pattern, maybe twice a week seeing as I'm on my summer holidays right now so I'll hopefully have more time to write. Please review. Especially seeing as it's so much easier now with the box just down there. It'd mean a lot to me andd thanks for reading and reviewing :D**


	13. The Basement Visit

**A/N So... It's a week and a bit later than I promised. And I'm very, very sorry. But rather than bore you with my endless excuses as to why this wasn't up earlier, I'll just get right to it, you've waited long enough. Short-ish chapter, because the next one will definitely be longer. If I don't get another one up by Sunday/ Monday, don't expect one for a week or so seeing as I'm off round the country for a few days and even if I worked on it there, I'd have no internet, and my beta's on holiday so she couldn't do it for me. Again, sorry for all of that, and for rambling on yet again. Anywho, this one's from Gibbs' POV, please review so I can actually see if the whole 'me writing from Gibbs' POV' actually worked or not (if it fails, I promise never to do it again). Thanks for any reviews/ alerts for the last one, and hopefully you'll enjoy this one :)**

Chapter 12- The Basement Visit

Ever since Tony and Ziva had gotten back, things had been too quiet.

They can sort out their relationship problems outside of work.

But, seriously, do they have no respect for rule 12?

I made it for a reason.

But if there's ever gunna be an exception it'd probably be them.

Or Abbs and McGee.

I don't even care, why am I so bothered about this?

That's obvious.

They're family.

Family that I'm pissed at.

But family just the same.

And how did they come back from a 3 hour visit with nothing?

Nothing but an appointment?

I looked at the clock, it was getting on for ten thirty, and still we were getting nowhere.

Well, they ain't gonna get anywhere without some sleep.

"Go home," I said to them all, standing up from my desk and picking up my coffee.

"You sure, boss?" McGee asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah I'm sure, now get outta here, before I change my mind and make you stay all night," I said, heading over to the elevator.

It's not as if I didn't stuff to do outside of this place aswell.

I had a bottle of scotch waiting for me.

I jumped into my car out front and began the short drive back home.

It was made even shorter by the lateness of the hour.

That could only be a good thing.

I pulled up onto the driveway and locked up the car.

I walked straight into the house without having to pull out any keys.

Anybody who knows me knows that I never lock the door.

I carried on straight down to the basement.

The tension in the office had only built up and up as the day wore on and as much as I tried to be resilient, it was getting to me.

I had to get home.

To the basement.

It was the only safe place for me to go right now.

I walked over to the dusty bottle of bourbon that hadn't been touched in a while.

Probably because I hadn't felt like this in a while.

I poured it into a mug and downed it.

I walked over to the huge slab of wood residing in the centre of the floor and began to sand the edges of the piece I'd cut off the night before.

Manually, of course.

It wasn't until then that the dark figure brooding under the stairs, finally spoke.

"I don't know what I did wrong, boss. I love her. But she just acted like everything she said last night was a lie. It wasn't. I know that it wasn't. I saw her. I heard her. You can't fake that. Can you?"

"The two of you have something special DiNozzo. Something that nobody could ever fake."

"Well then why did she say that?" He started off quietly.

"Say what?"

"That it was all heat of the moment. Why would she say that?" He shouted. "Why? I just don't get it," his voice shrunk to barely more than a whisper, and he seemed to shrink back against the wall.

I paused for a minute before answering. "The stuff she said today, that was the heat of the moment. The lie."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You didn't see her! You didn't hear her!" Once again, he resorted to shouting.

"Yeah, but I know Ziva, you know Ziva. We both know what she's like. She refuses to get in too deep with anything. She won't let herself get attached. She's too scared to get hurt again."

"She should know I'm not gunna hurt her, I never have!" He yelled at me.

"I know you haven't, but other people have." I tried to remain calm, for his sake, more than mine.

"What am I supposed to do?" He said, slowly and quietly.

"Talk to her," I said simply.

"She won't listen to me. She rarely does," he said.

God, did he always have to have an issue with everything I said?

Of course he did, he was DiNozzo.

At that point, I heard a door shut quietly somewhere upstairs.

I obviously wasn't the only one.

Tony looked up towards the stairs and skulked backwards towards the wall.

The slim Israeli stood at the top of the stairs, hesitating.

After a minute of two of silence, she finally took a few steps down the stairs and sat.

"I messed it up, Gibbs," Ziva said, quietly.

"Nah, Zi, you didn't," I said softly.

"No Gibbs. I have. I lied. He will not forgive me," she looked down.

Tony shuffled out of the shadows a little.

"You lied?" He said, looking hurt.

"Tony," she said, shocked, "I did not notice you there. Gibbs, I will leave now," she said, standing up to leave.

"No, no you won't," I said, sprinting up the stairs to pass her. "You two, you need to sort this out," I said, steeping out and shutting the door. I pulled the key out of my pocket and locked the door.

Oh shit.

Hopefully David won't kill DiNozzo.

Or hurt my basement.


	14. Trapped

**A/N Okay, oh my God, I'm really really really really really really really really sorry that I've taken so long uploading. Seriously, things have been crazy. I hardly had any free time all summer, so no time to write and I was away for a bit and then I went back to school and I've been like super super busy all the time. Again, I'm really sorry. I'm even more sorry for the fact that things may not get much better now that I'm in school again. I'm literally going to be behind after school near enough every single day up until christmas at the least which sucks so unless I remove any hopes of a social life this year, updates are literally going to be as and when I can. However I have sort of made a list of things I need to do more of, and my beta has informed me that as far as she's concerned, writing is the most important thing on that list, therefore, here I am. Anywho, you're not here to put up with me wining about how shit this next year will be, so, before I start complaining again, here it is, chapter 13, from Ziva's POV until about halfway through when it switches to Tony's. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 13- Trapped

**Ziva's POV**

Shit.

The second that I get out of here, I am going to kill Gibbs.

And whilst I am in here, I am going to kill DiNozzo.

I need to get out of here.

Now.

I could not do it.

I could not talk to… Him…

Of all the people I would choose to be locked in a room with, Tony was, indefinitely, my last resort.

Yet here I was.

Stuck in the same room as the man I was hopelessly in love with.

The man that I could not be in love with.

I cannot be in love with anybody, but especially not Tony.

And the only way for him to give up is to lie to him.

So that is what I did.

And then I was stupid.

So fucking stupid.

And I 'talked about it,' like you are supposed to, yes?

But why are you supposed to do it if it only causes more of a mess than the one you had in the first place?

Waking up.

In Tony's bed.

Naked.

After one of the best nights of your life.

That should not have happened.

Especially not to you.

I believe that that is as messy as you can get.

And now here I stood.

With absolutely no idea what to do.

And even less of an idea of what to say.

I was trapped.

And, from what I could see, I was not getting out of here any time soon.

So what now?

Should I tell him?

No.

He is not ready for the truth.

He is a child.

He is not even close to wanting anything with me.

Well.

That is a lie.

What part of me is it that cannot accept that he has grown up recently?

A lot.

Him being childish is obviously not the excuse that I am looking for.

Nor was it the one that I needed to get myself out.

If he truly has grown up recently, then would it not be that I am not worthy of him?

Me and Tony, we are not the same.

He is kind-hearted and loving and funny and beautiful and gentle.

When he shows it.

And then there is me.

The stone cold assassin.

Tony.

Assassin.

Tony.

Assassin.

_Tony._

_Assassin._

They do not go together.

Therefore Tony and I do not go together.

He does not seem to fit into my world.

And I do not seem to fit into his.

In my life I have never met anybody quite like Tony.

Granted, however, that I have not met many truly good people in my life.

The team, perhaps, but at the same time, none of them mean to me even a fraction as much as Tony does.

I love them, of course.

They are like my family.

But him.

He is different.

Anybody who knows Tony, or has had the pleasure (as far as I am concerned) of meeting him, knows that he is special.

Rare.

And as close to perfect as you can get.

Perfection in a world like this is not possible.

But if it was…

Tony would be it.

**Tony's POV**

Well.

I was stuck in a room with a woman who had either lied to me, or to Gibbs.

For once I'm actually hoping that she'd lied to me.

Cos if she'd lied to Gibbs then she was screwed.

Then again, Ziva's a total ninja.

That would be a seriously interesting fight.

Okay, now, for entertainment purposes, I'm hoping Ziva lied to Gibbs.

Then again, she'd probably get shot.

Or at the least her face would be totally fucked up.

And if something did happen to her, then I'd blame myself.

So maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing if she'd have lied to me.

I just don't get why she did it in the first place.

I mean, did I do something wrong?

Or was it just that whatever she thought she felt, she didn't.

God, she's confusing.

And sat here, staring at her.

_Wordless._

It's strange.

But she's driving me crazy.

I don't know what to say.

I just want answers.

To questions I don't know how to ask.

This should work well.

After what literally felt like an eternity, she finally uttered a word aloud.

"So…" She whispered carefully, weakly.

It wasn't Ziva.

Weak.

_Weak_.

No.

"So." I replied firmly.

Now what?

**A/N Please review, it'll encourage me to write more? I guess...**


	15. What If I Told You?

**A/N Omg, so it actually hasn't been all that long since, I last updated. I'm quite proud of myself. I'll admit that if I would've gotten my shit together, then it may have been up earlier, however, I've been ridiculously busy with school and stuff, plus, I keep getting distracted by a few other stories I'm beginning to work on so hopefully if I actually get past the second chapter of them all, they will soon be up. Yes, that includes a new NCIS one which, as of yet, my beta isn't aware of. So yeah. I've also noticed how my A/N's have become progressively longer as I've updated. Oops. Anywho chapter 14, resolutions wooo. Ziva's POV, then Tony's POV, then Gibbs' POV, as indicated. Please review, thanks to anybody reading this/ people who reviewed previous chapters that I possibly accidentally slightly forgot to thank people for... :/ Enjoy? (I'm sorry if this all sounds really odd or like I'm rambling, I'm living on about 6 hours sleep for the past 72 hours. Because, clearly, I treat my body like a temple.)**

Chapter 14- What If I Told You?

_After what literally felt like an eternity, she finally uttered a word aloud._

"_So…" She whispered carefully, weakly._

_It wasn't Ziva._

_Weak._

Weak.

_No._

"_So." I replied firmly._

_Now what_?

Ziva's POV

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit _shit._

I started a conversation.

_Why _did I start a conversation?

What was I even planning on saying?

I mean, I cannot just stand here and say to him, 'Oh, yes Tony, I am sorry, I did lie to you.'

No.

No no no no no no no no no no NO!

Okay, maybe something like,'Sorry.'

Yes.

Maybe that will work.

I hope.

Before I could continue composing myself, Tony spoke again.

"Zi…"

I looked up.

His face was there in front of mine.

So close, I didn't even have to reach out to touch him.

He reached his hand out towards my face and lifted my chin up, so that I was looking him in the eyes.

"Why'd you lie to me Zi?" He asked quickly, blurting it out.

He sounded hurt.

I did not like that.

The worst part was that I knew that it was my fault he felt like this.

My fault that he was upset.

My fault that he was hurting.

And my fault that he had ended up here tonight.

"I am… Sorry Tony," I hesitated.

"Rule 6 Ziva," he snapped.

"Never apologise, it is a sign of weakness," I recited.

"I don't want an apology off of you. I just need to know why," he said gently.

I huffed and sat down on the floor.

Tony chuckled at me.

"What?" I demanded, frowning.

"Just throwing yourself down on the floor, Zi? Real classy, huh?" He replied, continuing to chuckle at me.

"I am tired Tony, I am entitled to _sit down_," I said, with added emphasis on the last two words, continuing to frown.

Then he laughed at me.

Properly laughed.

It was a delicious sound.

A sound that I had missed today.

I blew out a deep breath once again and frowned at him.

Tony's POV

She was sat there, on the floor of Gibbs' basement, frowning.

_Frowning._

Seriously.

As though she knew that was the one thing that I could not keep a straight face at.

The pouted lip and the glistening chocolate brown eyes.

I couldn't exactly avoid smiling.

And, to top it all off, she had that adorable line between her eyebrows.

It was all that I could do not to very nearly melt at how beautiful she looked right then and there.

When I finally snapped out of my little entrancing state, I became aware of music.

Gibbs must've put a radio on or something.

But maybe that was a bit ahead of him.

It was a pretty song, playing softly is the background.

It was on a piano.

It was kind of beautiful.

**What if I told you,**

**Who I really was,**

**What if I let you in on my charade?**

It was fitting.

I pulled Ziva up off the floor and slowly began to dance with her.

**What if I told you,**

**What was really going on,**

**No more masks and no more parts to play?**

After a minute or so, she finally spoke.

"I was scared Tony," she whispered softly, her head resting on my shoulder.

**There's so much I want to say,**

**But I'm so scared to give away,**

**Every little secret that I hide behind.**

"Scared of what?" I asked her, chuckling lightly.

**Would you see me differently**

**And would that be such a bad thing**

**I wonder what it would be like**

"Being honest," she replied, quietly.

**If I told you**

"I love you, Zi, nothing's gunna change that," I said, smiling.

**What if I told you**

**That's it's just a front**

**To hide the insecurities I have**

"You are sure?" She asked, hesitantly.

**What if I told you**

**That I'm not as strong**

**As I like to make believe I am**

"I'm sure," I said.

**There's so much I want to say**

**But I'm so scared to give away**

**Every little secret that I hide behind**

She lifted her head slowly to look at me.

**Would you see me differently?**

**And would that be such a bad thing**

**I wonder what it would be like**

"I love you too," she said, smiling at last.

**If I told you**

**Oh if I told you**

**There's so much I want to say**

**But I'm so scared to give away**

**Every little secret that I hide behind**

**Oh would you see me differently?**

**And would that be such a bad thing**

**I wonder what it would be like**

**If I told you**

**What if I told you**

**What if I told you**

**What would it be like**

**What would it be like**

**If I told you**

**Oh what if I told you**

**Oh I wonder what it would be like**

**If I told you**

Gibbs' POV

I'd heard them laughing before, which is kinda a good sign.

But now they'd been quiet again.

Too quiet.

I stood up and walked over to the basement door.

Softly, so the old floorboards wouldn't creek.

I pressed my ear to the door.

Not a sound.

I pulled the key out of my pocket and silently jammed it into the lock.

I twisted it round carefully, and turned the door handle, creaking it open slowly.

I stepped onto the first stair and looked down towards the basement floor where I had left them both, on opposite sides of the room, hating themselves.

Now, I found them wrapped up in each other, dancing.

That was an improvement at least.

And my basement was still intact.

I took a step backwards out of the room, knowing that neither of them had even noticed me.

I was good like that.

**A/N As soon as I put this up, I'm off to watch the season premiere of NCIS. I live in the UK, don't have FX and I don't fancy waiting until like 2014 for it to be on channel 5, I'm watching it now. At half past five in the morning. Who cares if I have Biology and Music first and second lesson. And a test. Not me.**


	16. Consumed

**A/N I'm sorry it's been so long since I last uploaded, after me saying, I won't wait ages to upload, I have. I've been so busy with things recently, and I've got resits and coursework and stuff so I'm like crazy busy right now, but *fingers crossed* December may be a bit easier for me, but we'll see. I'm not making any promises that I can't keep again (saying that I've just started 16, but it could be another month and a bit until that's up). Last time I updated was like the day of the season premiere, omg, that seems like forever ago, but yeah, I'm uploading now because I meant to yesterday, but my beta decided not to read the email with 15 in it when I sent it, so I've been pestering her to read it for the past hour... Sorry... Anywhooo, chapter 15, McGee, then Abby. (I did have McGee written a while ago, but it was too short, so I wrote Abby the other day to add on to it, in my French lesson, when I should have been preparing for my speaking test. If I fail, I'm just gunna be like, FANFICTION. IT'S FANFICTION'S FAULT. Suck on that France.)**

Chapter 15- Consumed

McGee's POV

It had been almost a week since we'd agreed that it was about time Tony and Ziva got together.

A week since we'd settled on our plan.

A week since we'd began the never ending case.

But also a week since I'd bothered to think about any of it.

I'd been absorbed.

Consumed.

By a black haired, pig tailed goth.

And a beautiful one at that.

It had been years since we'd been together like this, but right now, it felt like it had never stopped.

Just like it used to be.

Except for one thing.

This time, nobody knew.

I don't know why we were keeping it quiet.

Okay, I did.

Gibbs.

And rule 12.

Last time, I wasn't working here. So I couldn't break it.

Now I do.

So now I can.

And of all people, it was Abby.

Abby is like Gibbs' daughter.

If I did even the slightest thing to hurt Abby- which, just to clear it up I NEVER would- Gibbs would fucking kill me!

But I've gotta be honest, I don't care.

It's Abby.

And I finally got her back.

I don't think I've ever been this happy.

Somebody told me once that the hard part of loving somebody isn't about loving them; it's about not letting them know that you do.

Now personally, I couldn't disagree more.

I think the hard part about loving someone is making yourself worthy one you've caught them.

If you catch them.

It was a Wednesday morning.

It was fucking early on a Wednesday morning.

But it had to be.

Cos I was at Abby's.

That was kind of how it'd been working for the past few days now.

Me at Abby's place or her at mine.

Up early the next morning to change and drive to work separately.

And, as far as I was concerned, it was working.

Well.

If anybody had noticed, they'd stayed blissfully oblivious.

So I got up, at 5 am on a Wednesday.

For once, I was shocked, because it was the first time all week that Abbs had slept through.

All the late nights were obviously catching up on her.

We'd been late at the office nearly every night trying to figure out this case, but not until.

After four nights with no leads, I think Gibbs had finally given up on keeping us hostage until 3 am and had let us leave at 11.

Still late, but better.

So I left her asleep with a note in the kitchen.

She didn't deserve to be woken up.

An hour and a half later, I was on my way to work.

I was attempting to think about the plan again.

If I was honest with myself, what we had so far was shit.

We needed something big, brilliant and extravagant.

Something that was worth all the time Tony and Ziva had wasted, all the things they'd been through together and something that was worth everything that the two of them deserved.

For two people, that's a lot to pull off.

Maybe if it was two of me, I'd say it was pretty much impossible.

But one of the two of us was Abby Sciuto.

That meant that we could pretty much do whatever the fuck we wanted.

Because of her.

Because of her brains.

Because of her brilliance.

And because she was pretty much perfect.

Abby's POV

I'd been so overwhelmed recently. My head was literally spinning with everything that I was supposed to be doing. First, there was that stupid case, for which, I might add, there was absolutely _no_ competent physical evidence to help me in _any _way. No murder weapon. No fingerprints of anybody other than the Petty Officer and her husband. It wasn't suicide and Tony had assured me that it wasn't the husband.

I was so confused. This didn't happen to me. _Ever_. Not to mention the fact that I was completely deprived of Caf-Pow at the moment. I hadn't done anything of worth, nor had I found anything for days. So Gibbs hadn't been down to see me with a Caf-Pow like he usually does in every single case when I find something that helps us to find the criminal.

I was distracted, but I didn't know what by.

My mind was somewhere else. But I had _no _idea where.

All I knew is that I needed to figure out where, and fast. Preferably before I died of caffeine withdrawal and failure.

I hadn't been staying in work until the early hours of the morning or sleeping in Labby like usual. The latest I'd stayed all week was until 3 am, but usually we'd been out before the day was out. I'd been leaving and spending time with McGee, either at his apartment, or mine. We hadn't exactly clarified as to what exactly this thing that we're doing is, but I was happy with it all, and he seemed to be. All that I wasn't happy about was work. That was something that rarely happened, especially at NCIS. My family was here. You can't help but love your family. Maybe it was because I was spending too much time away from work and out of my usual pattern. Or maybe it was because I felt like I was missing out on something.

I don't know.

I needed caffeine.

It's the only thing left that can bring me back at this point.

I was processing the millionth set of fingerprints from the crime scene, something that I'd done constantly for the past few days, but usually they came out the same. Christina Chadwick- Milton, or James Milton.

As of yet, I'd had nothing else.

As of yet, this case had been shambles.

As of yet, I'd been failing miserably.

It was then that I heard the familiar beeping sound signalling that AFIS had matched the fingerprint.

And I had to admit, it really wasn't anything near to what I was expecting.

I didn't know this person, but I'm pretty sure the team did.

I nearly squealed at how happy I was at finally getting a break in this case.

It was total Abbyca-fucking-dabra

The never ending case.

The case to which I could _finally_ see an ending.

**A/N I'm off, to do some more writing, and procrastinate from English revision, cos I'm that good. Review please? :)**


	17. Are We Done Here?

**A/N Oh. My. God. I really cannot apologise enough to you. It's been like 5 months. I think you probably realised already that I'm horrifically inconsistent but even so, I'm a horrible person, and I really don't have much of an excuse other than that I've had a lot going on in my personal life at the moment. I haven't had an awful lot of time to think about all of this, and consequently not a lot of time to write. I had around the first half of the chapter almost kind of done around Christmas time, and I considered uploading it, but it was only like 500 words and as much as I wanted to upload, my beta told me that it's probably be better for me to leave it a little longer and at least give you a half decent chapter to satisfy you until I can eventually work out where to go with this story. If it's any consolation all of the other things that I said I had to do for school and stuff, I didn't do. I refused to do my French speaking assessment, I did a fair bit worse in my resits and I failed one of my mock exams… So because I'm lazy and decided that sleeping was more important than anything else in my life, I have suffered. In other news, I'm going to attempt to wrap up the whole story in the next couple of chapters, perhaps with an epilogue, but we'll see. I'll aim to have it all done for Easter, but, I'm not making any promises. Again, I'm so so so sorry. But getting on with the actually story at long last. You've got 3 POV's in this chapter, Abby, Ziva and Tony, as indicated along the way, and this is also the end of the case, at long last. It's been a good few chapters and possibly several months, I'm not too sure, since the case last surfaced, if you get confused, let me know and I'll try to help as best as I can. Please review, and I hope that you enjoy chapter 16 :) (I also apologise for what is quite possibly _THE _longest authors note like ever. :/) Also, I realised the other day that I've never actually done a disclaimer, so in case anybody was deluded enough to think that I owned any of the characters in this story (other than the ones involved in the case), you are sadly mistaken. Very sadly. I wish I was that creative. But at least there isn't one at the bottom again. This is it now. I swear.**

Chapter 16- Are We Done Here?

Abby's POV

I _finally _had a break in this case, and Gibbs didn't even come down to see me. Seriously, had he given up on me or something?

I mean like it'd literally been days since I'd had anything, so when I finally did, shouldn't his Gibbs-senses be going off like crazy or something?

I decided to wait- but only for a few minutes- just in case he'd taken the stairs or was waiting for the lift or something.

However, five minutes later, it was to no avail.

I mean I was impatient enough as it was, I didn't need to wait for people. So, naturally, I ran out of the lab and over to the elevator, travelling up to the bull-pen.

The elevator doors slid open revealing the bull-pen and before they were fully out of the way I was out, running over to Gibbs.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" I shouted as I ran over to him, "I think I solved this case!" I said, beaming at him.

"Okay, Abbs, show me what you got," he said, already making his way over to the elevator.

When we arrived back down in Labby, I began, "So you know how I was pretty convinced that it was the husband?"

"Please, do not tell me that it was, Abbs," Gibbs said, frowning at me.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that Gibbs, it turns out that Tony was right," I said, smirking.

"About it not being the husband or what?" He said, and by now I could tell that he was becoming impatient.

"About it not being the husband, and it wasn't his sister either. It wasn't anybody that we would've expected," I said, quickly, grinning in self-satisfaction.

"So who was it?"

"Dahrah Goulden."

"Who the hell is that?"

"She's James' sister's roommate, the one that Tony and Ziva are supposed to be interviewing with Ariana Milton today?"

"So she's coming here, today?"

"She should be, but I don't think she'll turn up if she has an ounce of sense in her," But of course before I had even finished my sentence, Gibbs was on his way out.

"Thanks Abbs," he shouted behind him as he headed up the stairs.

Tony's POV

They were late.

Not like I could go on at anybody for being late.

But you are _not _late for an interview about your best friends' death.

That's just something you don't do.

Nearly another fifteen minutes passed before they appeared in front of my desk.

"We're going to have to interview you both separately, if that's okay?" I asked them.

Ariana opened her mouth but Dahrah got there first.

"If that's what you have to do. I don't see why though, it's not as though we're suspects."

God, she was arrogant.

That's when Ziva stepped in.

"All that we want to hear is the truth, I am sure that you will both give us that but we need your own stories, not a mixed up version. We would like to hear it exactly how you both can remember it."

The girls shared a look.

Speaking silently, like me and Ziva did sometimes.

"Fine," Dahrah replied, shortly.

Ziva's POV

"Right then Dahrah, I am sorry that we are in an interrogation room rather than the conference room, but obviously it is not available," I began, slowly.

"It's fine," she replied, shortly.

"Shall we begin?" I asked, carefully.

"Sure, what do you wanna know?"

"Well we shall start with where you were the day that Christina was killed?" I said, attempting to give some direction to this interview.

"Erm, I was probably at home? What day was it, a Wednesday?"

"Yes, it was a Wednesday."

"Well then it was my day off, I would've been at home. I might have gone out shopping for a while in the middle of the day but not for long."

"Can you be a little bit more specific about what time you did these things?" I said, trying to dig a little deeper into the story.

"Not really, no. I don't document every single minute of my day, especially on my day off. I laze around, I clean the apartment if I need to and go shopping if I need to. That's it," she said abruptly.

"We are only trying to find out what happened," I said, trying to brush off the fact that she was being off with me.

"Well I can't help you. And I really don't see how I'm even relevant to all of this I'm not related to her and I wasn't really friends with her. I barely knew her, I'd met her a couple of times, but other than that…" she trailed off.

"Fine. Wait here," I said, getting up to go and find Gibbs.

Tony's POV

"I'd hardly even seen Chrissie recently," she said, bluntly. "I mean, usually, we'd be seeing each other a couple of times a week but she's been kind of touch and go recently. Y'know cancelling at a minutes notice, not showing up, avoiding calls, disappearing for days on end. She was telling James that she was away on business, y'know stuff to do with the navy, but I don't think that it was. He was keeping it quiet of course. He knew something…" She said, growing quieter towards the end.

"Well if she wasn't at work then where was she?" I asked, growing curious

"I don't really know, I mean, I didn't want to ask her or anything, y'know let on that I knew something was going on," she said, with that tone of voice women have when they know

"So you just pretended that you didn't know? Did you know?" Okay, now I was confused.

"Well I had my presumptions, but they aren't certain," she said, looking down at her hands.

"Well, I don't like to indulge in rumours," I said, smirking to myself, "But you wanna tell me what you thought was going on," I said, already with a slight idea of what she was implying.

"I thought she might have been sleeping with somebody else, I don't know. But she was pushing James away. Maybe pushing her towards somebody else," she said, again, hinting that there was something more to this.

"Like who?"

She took a deep breath.

"Dahrah."

"As in Dahrah your roommate?"

"Yeah. We've both known Dahrah since forever, easily longer than we'd known most of our other friends. She used to like him when she was younger. I don't think it ever really went away for her. He never knew. She couldn't tell him. And then when he got with Chrissie she knew nothing could happen."

"Do you think something was going on between Dahrah and James, before Petty Officer Chadwick passed away?"

"No," she said, sounding incredibly sure of herself, "James loved Chrissie way too much. He couldn't hurt her like that."

"So what do you think they were doing together then?" I asked her, in a questioning tone.

"They were probably just talking and stuff."

"Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. This case was growing colder by the second.

Ziva's POV

After several minutes of searching, I finally found Gibbs.

"Gibbs," I called out when I caught a glimpse of him.

"Ziver," he said, raising his eyebrow at me.

"Dahrah is not proving to be much help," I said, with a hint of annoyance in my voice. "She does not seem to have known the Petty Officer very well."

"But she has a connection to the case, obviously," Gibbs said, slowly as though I was missing something.

"What am I not catching here?" I asked, carefully, eyebrows furrowing together slightly as I thought about it.

"That Abby just told me that Dahrah was the one who did it," Gibbs said to me, as though I was some sort of imbecile.

"Oh. Is she sure?" I asked, quizzically.

"Seriously Ziva, you're doubting Abby? Wow, DiNozzo really has got into your head."

That earned a relatively deadly death glare from me.

"Maybe we could discuss your relationship with the Petty Officer's husband?" I asked carefully, knowing that this was a relatively sensitive subject.

"We've been friends for longer than we've been able to talk, and close for almost as long. We all went to school together and all always hung out together. Something could've happened between us then. That all changed when he met Christina. We hadn't really spoken for a few years until recently."

"What changed recently?"

She looked at me hesitantly, as though this was a question that she shouldn't have been answering.

"Dahrah, there is no point in hiding things, we will find out either way," I said, cautiously.

"He and Christina were having problems. And it was really messing with his head. He was pretty torn up about it all," she said, seemingly annoyed about the fact that Christina had upset James.

As though he was hers.

"So he came to you about this?" I asked.

"Yes. Who else would he have gone to? He trusts me," she said.

"I understand that, but why did he not go to a friend? Or even his sister? Why would he go to somebody that had hardly spoken to him in years?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know, I don't pretend to understand James' mentality, I just tolerate it." She said. God she was snotty.

"Okay. And what did you two do when he came to you?" I asked.

"We just talked. He was… he was confused and he didn't really know what to do. I mean, him and Christina had never really been a perfect couple, but from what I'd always heard from Ariana, they'd never argued like this. I don't know what started it, but I always presumed…" She said cautiously.

"And what exactly did you presume?"

"I presumed that she had something on the side. I just wish that she would've fucked off earlier. He loved her so much, and all that she ever did was throw it all away. Why would she even do that?" She said, growing angrier.

"I do not know," I answered, even though I knew exactly why. Fear.

"She was a bitch. She deserved everything she got for doing what she did to James and he's better off without her." She said, sounding more and more bitter by the second, should I pull her up on it?

"You sound bitter Dahrah." I said, bluntly, voicing my thoughts.

"Of course I'm bitter. She broke his heart a million times over. And she didn't care." She said, shortly.

"And what did you do about it?" I asked, carefully, aware that we could be getting close to the truth.

She looked down at the floor.

"Dahrah?" I asked again, pushing for an answer.

"It doesn't matter." She said shortly, attempting unsuccessfully to brush me off.

"Of _course_ it matters!" I shouted at her, exasperated, "Dahrah, whatever you have done could implicate our _entire_ investigation," I said, ever so slightly calmer.

"Oh it'll implicate it," she said, very quietly, under her breath.

"How?" I asked.

Silence.

"Dahrah, how?" I pushed, again.

Silence.

"Dah-" I began.

"-I did it." She interrupted, whispering.

"You did what?" I asked.

"I killed her." She said, louder this time.

"Why?" I asked, still pushing for answers.

"Because she was hurting him and it wasn't fair." She said, again her voice increasing in volume.

"Why was it not fair?" I continued.

"Because he didn't deserve it!" She screamed at me.

"So you thought the only option for this was to _kill her_?" I shouted back at her.

"Well what else was I supposed to do about it?" She shouted, again.

"I do not know. But you did not need to kill her." I said, growing quiet.

"Well I did." She said, shortly, sounding like a spoilt child.

"That is all," I said, rising from my seat and exiting the interrogation room.


End file.
